Listening to the Silence of a Falling World
by princessofthescoundrels
Summary: Max takes some time post- Angel to tell us what she really thinks about her two head and heart aches. Characters are Max, Fang, Dylan. One 'bad' word.


Just starting off here, I'm princessofthescoundrels and I'm pretty new to this. I hate Dylan but I hope I did well with him and wasn't mean. Er, that much. As much as I appreciate any feedback, I won't grovel for it. I hate it when people beg. So, read, enjoy and tell what I can do improve. If you don't like it, tell me _why._

Thank you!

~*~ Start

My mother always used to tell me (before she mysteriously disappeared) to follow my heart. How was I supposed to do that in the midst of a war? A war of the world that I was told to save, mind you. So now I have to follow my heart _and _save the world? Let's me tell you, that's one too many 'and's' in my opinion. And if I'll be honest with you, saving the world must be a whole lot easier than following my heart.

I took a deep breath and stared out onto the scenery in front of me. Everything is so complicated…

"_It doesn't have to be."_ Oh joy. The Voice is back. 'How ya doing buddy? Welcome back.' I rolled my eyes and sighed mentally. I was standing on the roof of my home after dark. I had just tucked the rest of my Flock in after a long and stressful day. Angel was missing, Fang left _again_ to do God- Knows- What with God- Knows- Who... and Dylan was just… Dylan.

What to do, what to do.

Angel told me the same thing. My feelings are important to me. But how am I supposed to know what feelings are more important if I don't even know what the heck is going on! Life was so much simpler when I was stuck in a cage. At least then I had Fang…

That's it isn't it? Fang. Before this week it had become so much easier to say his name without the pain… but then came Paris. Seriously? City of lovers my tail feathers.

Of all the infuriating, irritating, pig headed, arrogant… loyal, trustworthy, loveable… why him? He was my best friend. You see why I didn't want to get this… _whatever_ started. I saw this happening. But did anyone try to stop me? No. 'Follow your heart, Max.' 'You deserve some time to yourself, Max.' 'Do what you think is right, Max.' And you know what? All the lovely people who gave me that wonderful advice turned it right around and claimed I was being selfish and not spending time with them.

But he was so supportive…

Looking back at it, I suppose he did the best thing. For the world, for the Flock. I don't know. I'm still angry and confused and hurt. But I guess this is the perfect time to keep it all hidden away and locked up. I have a world to save here people! I don't have time for these girly troubles.

Speaking of girly troubles. Dylan. Mr. Perfect. Barbie's right hand man. _Him._ You know what? I don't need another half. I don't. That's assuming that I'm broken in the first place. Which I'm obviously not. If all was fair in the world I might have been able to settle down and make a nest somewhere but no… Evil doctors keep popping up with new surprises.

Maybe the problem is he's too perfect. Like, he has no faults! And if there's something I absolutely DO NOT need is a Superman. No way, not me sister.

But he likes me…

… which he was programmed to do when he was still a embryo. Oh dear. I think that bothers me too. At least Fang was a gradual thing and he didn't have to like me, you know? It's weird having someone around who only hangs with you because he was told at a young age he had to. Because he's my, dare I say it? Perfect other half.

What am I supposed to do now? Choose between the two?

'_Yes. Get it out of your system, Max. Do what you think is right.'_ The Return of the Voice. More like Revenge of the Voice. 'Oh yeah?' I thought back furiously. 'And how am I supposed to do that?'

The Voice seemed to take a deep breath and I grinned. _'What would be the best choice for the world? For you? What would make the conflict stop? You need all the focus you can get for the upcoming battle_.'

'Oh, okay,' I thought back sarcastically. 'Would you like me to pull names from a hat and see if I like who comes out? Maybe that would be the easiest choice.'

'_Sometimes the easiest way isn't the best way, Max.' _

Thanks for that. Not.

'_Go to sleep, Max.'_

'Oh yeah?' I challenged. 'How am I supposed to do that? I can't sleep, I can't eat! I'm worried sick about Angel… AND I have to save the world! You try and sleep with all this crap on your shoulders!'

'_Trust me, Max. Go to sleep.'_

"Fine!" I yelled, apparently out loud. All the birds who were previously sleeping peacefully in their trees woke up and began flapping. "Oh, drama queens," I muttered to myself and climbed in my pathetically decorated room. I laid down on the bed and shut my eyes for a second… falling down the rabbit hole…

"_Max, I promise never to leave you. Ever." Fang's voice called out to me in the distance, but he couldn't be here with me, could he? He didn't come back with us, did he?_

_But you did leave me Fang… all alone…_

_His face gazed upon me lovingly, his hair falling oh- so- stubbornly in his eyes. He broke out into a smile and my heart nearly stopped despite my brain calling me a fool. Fang's face suddenly looked up in horror._

_Out came falcon's wings that were attached to Barbie boy. He landed (perfectly?) in front of Fang._

"_You! Ha! You aren't even worthy to be in the same room with her!" he chanted, teasing him. Fang dipped his head in shame. "How could anything you do be worth anything compared to what I could give her? I'm glad you left, no, we're all glad you left. You brought nothing to the Flock. Anything you might have done, I've done tenfold. I'm better than you are, stronger than you are. Perfect."_

"_She loves me…" Fang whispered._

_Somehow I knew this wasn't a real argument. Not only because Dylan would never say those things to, well, anyone, but because Dylan would be on the floor begging for his life had Fang truly been as mad as he looked right now. His fists were clenched and the words he muttered, however soft, were lined with venom._

"_Loved more like. You know what she did? She kissed me, twice! It took you years for me to accomplish in mere weeks! You're pathetic." He spat the words as if they were needles, piercing into Fang's skin._

_I wanted to yell then. I wanted to yell for Dylan to stop, wanted to yell to Fang that I still, yes still, love him, wanted to say I forgive him and to (pleasepleaseplease) come home. Wanted to kiss and kill both of them at the same time and I felt as if my organs were about to burst._

_Then we were at the School. I was in a cage, hanging over an observatory. The boys that I so desperately wanted to hurt were strapped in lab chairs down below. A scientist walked in, the face ever changing. First it was Jeb, then Dr. G-H, then my mother, then Ari, then an Eraser… the faces were like a hologram, burning themselves into my memory that I felt like screaming. I wanted to get out, NOW dammit, and I knew that they were going to do something to Fang, my Fang. Dylan didn't even cross my mind as I hollered. But they couldn't hear me. No one did. I banged and screamed and had a hissy fit until my fingers were bleeding._

_The scientist took out a needle. Dylan was hollering for his life but Fang just stood there._

"_Don't hurt her," he whispered._

_And then I knew. I knew who was going to be my savior._

_And as the scientist moved its hand downward to pierce the needle into his skin, I knew. I knew all of a sudden why he left, why it took so long for me to love him, why I was so confused about Dylan._

_Why I would wait twenty more years for him. Why I would wait a lifetime. And I knew that that's what I needed to do. I couldn't be with him now._

_And I also couldn't be with Dylan._

_Fang's screams permeated my brain until I fainted. "I'll fight for you…" I whispered._

And woke up. Sweat fell in pearls down my face and I thought I might never catch my breath. I sat up hard in bed and gazed out the window to the moon while trying to regulate my body temperature. "It was just a dream… just a dream…" I repeated out loud to myself over and over, yet somehow I knew it wasn't. I had made my decision.

A white faced Dylan ran into the room. Moonlight streaked across his face and his eyes and blonde hair shined in the moonlight. He never looked more handsome. However, the tingles had stopped. I guess, in life, you were never meant to have a perfect half. Just a perfect fit. And I had found mine.

I calmly gazed at him, any signs that I had previously been upset had disappeared, except for a few stray beads of sweat.

"Are you okay?" his brow furrowed and he looked so darn cute. In almost a brotherly way.

"Yeah. I just had a bad dream."

"Oh." He paused. "Was I in it?" Somehow he knew. He knew just as I knew, and he didn't like it. I wonder if he'd had a similar dream. A few days ago he might have stepped into the room, gathered me into his arms and charmed me to death. Instead he just stayed at the doorway, putting his needs before mine.

"Yes," I replied simply.

"Oh," he repeated. A second later then, "Do you need anything?"

"No," I said and smiled at him. A small, sad smile that told him everything he needed to know.

The silence quickly became awkward as we stared at one another in our bedtime things. Me in my men's boxer shorts and over large t- shirt and him in his. He gave a little grin back and turned to leave.

"Dylan?" I asked calmly. He turned around. "Will we still be friends even if I don't choose you and we don't fly out in the sunset to make hatchlings?"

His eyes closed at the word 'friends' and his lips let out a sad smile. "Yeah, I think so." His eyes opened and found mine. "Thank you for telling me so I can get along with my life."

"You're welcome," I whispered. He turned around again. "Dylan?" I said again, stronger this time. He didn't move. "Who knows, maybe Max Tw- er, Maya, will see what a great guy you are and fall head over heels." I meant it to be comforting, but once it left my lips I realized that probably wasn't the thing to say to a guy with a broken heart.

And he left.

~*~ Fin


End file.
